There was this Thing Last Saturday

Red-eyed Vireo

 *** a Century Run is an attempt to find at least 100 species in 24 hours in a given area. A fellow birder and I gave it a go last Saturday and had quite a time. 

2025 Fulton-Montgomery County Century Run

200 miles, 110 birds. 15 ½ hours.

.55 birds per mile, for George Steele and myself, Marianne Friers, on our Fulton and Montgomery County Century Run this year.

 The day began just after 3 AM, with a duo of American Woodcocks peenting on a Montgomery County back road, with a Common Yellowthroat complaining about all those pesky witchities nearby.

Ruffed Grouse (through the windshield, sadly)

It ended sometime after 6 PM with a fortuitous Ruffed Grouse that showed up mere seconds after George pointed out that the habitat was perfect for them, and I mentioned seeing one in that spot last year.

“What’s that in the road?”

“A Ruffed Grouse, believe it or not.”

Wildy enough it was like that all day. A Grasshopper Sparrow buzzed from the exact bush where one has been found singing for the past three years. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched at the tip of the very same swampland snag where one has awaited us for even longer than that. Ditto a Common Gallinule up in Fulton County. There has been one calling or running back and forth across the road every time we have visited this year. It was joined by a Virginia Rail scurrying past just as we left. 

We got some strange looks on the Gateway Bridge, which was thronged with non-bird folk, when we cried in perfect unison, “Fish Crow!” as one called nearby. The expected Northern Rough-winged Swallows were swiftly flitting there as well.

Cobra Chicken and Chicken Children

George called up a pair of Great-horned Owls and a couple of Barred Owls in the early morning darkness. Even Merlin thought his vocal imitations were actually birds of the night. 

Species highlights included a Worm-eating Warbler  flitting around and singing its buzzy trill from the edge of a woodland road. It was a first in NY for me, and only the second anywhere, and brought us to a total of 14 warbler species.  

Common Merganser

Just as last year we failed to find either a Brown Thrasher or a Hermit Thrush, although other thrush species abounded. The afternoon brought snarling winds and driving rain, but George still managed to spot a pair of Common Loons way out on the seething waters of Caroga Lake. Had a great time as always.